Quarantine has allowed me to continue making zero waste/low waste sewing projects and crafts. Today’s project is a quick and easy one to create! Even though I won’t be traveling any time soon, I wanted to use some of the fabric I had in my stash to create some cute little travel bags. One is a first aid kit and the other is a makeup bag!
What makes this zero waste?
- The pattern uses every part of the fabric and there is no waste from extra scrap.
- My fabric was purchased second hand! The fabric I used is a durable cotton canvas, which while being heavy-duty, is made of completely natural materials.
- The zipper was something I had in my stash. It great to use things you already have! You could also remove a zipper from an old garment.
How to make a zipper pouch
Time: 15 minutes!
Difficulty: easy
Materials
- 100% cotton/linen fabric
- You can use scrap from sheets or old clothing.
- Thread
- Zipper
- I used a 9″ invisible seam zipper. Although, a nice industrial looking one would actually look nicer! This is just what I had on hand.
Note: I used a serger and a sewing machine for this project. But you could easily make this without either! Sewing a hem by hand and then stitching it together by hand. Although, it will take you longer than 15 minutes 😉
Directions
I made two pouches. One for a makeup travel bag and the other for a first aid kit. (The red zipper gave me the idea!) I first made a little mock-up on the project with some old scrap, making sure I had the dimensions I liked.
1. Iron your fabric if needed and cut to size. I cut a rectangle 9.5″ x 16.5″ and then cut out 1.75″ x 3″ in the middle of either side of the rectangle.
2. Serge (or hem) the entire piece of fabric so it does not fray. You could also zig zag stitch the edge or use pinking shears for a non-fray edge.
My neighbor gifted me this mini serger! (Thank you Kris!) I mean, look how cute it is. It worked so great for the project and I was dying for an excuse to try it out.
3. Fold the fabric in half and, with the right sides facing each other, sew the two sides with a quarter inch seam allowance.
4. Sew the bottom corner to make a square bottom for the pouch. Open the sides and align with the bottom. Sew with a quarter inch allowance.
Sew an optional pull tab
For my makeup bag, I used the scrap from cutting the bottom to make a little tab. This makes the pattern truly zero waste!
1. Sew the little rectangles together, right sides facing each other down the long sides, making a tube. Turn right side out.
2. Fold in half and sandwich between the sides of the folded fabric. Place the tab 1.25″ from the top of the bag. Pin in place.
3. Sew the side seams as normal with a quarter inch seam allowance.
Sew the zipper
Now comes the trickiest part of the pattern.
1. Pin the zipper along the top edge of the pouch with it facing down. Sew as close as you can to the zipper itself. Sew one side at a time.
I found my zipper foot (face palm) after doing both the zippers of course. This step is miles easier with a zipper foot, or if you’re sewing by hand.
2. Then you are going to sew the top edge again to create a professional edge. I did this by sewing the bottom edge of the zipper down from the inside of the pouch. Like so:
Sewing a top stitch across gives the top of the bag a beautiful edge.
Making a first aid cross
Now this is also optional! But I wanted to give a little flair to my plain bag so I made a little cardboard cross (1.5″ x 4″) and used it as a stamp. Make sure to have a piece of cardboard inside the bag so the paint doesn’t bleed through to the other side. I had to do this a couple of times so it would be (mostly) filled. I like the messy, vintage look of it so I didn’t mind that it was a bit of a mess. I did fill some of the gapping with a paintbrush, just to touch it up.
RELATED: DIY PERSONAL FACE MASK
I store my cloth face in here and I put this little to-go first aid kit in my car. It’s the perfect travel size. Having it in my car is great so if I ever go for a hike (or something like that), I can take it with me!
And there you have it! This is a really simple project you can do in under 15 minutes! Especially if you have a serger or you use a non-fraying fabric.
Something else I love about these bags is that they stand up on their own. The rectangular bottom makes the storage insane too. I’m hoping to make another (more complicated) pouch for toiletries too with a lining and all. But this tutorial is very simple fits all my DIY crafts: budget-friendly and quick!
Happy Making-
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